Kenya Bitter Truth

Museveni’s journey to take over State power started even before 1980. The man who in 1980 contested the presidency but lost to UPC’s Milton Obote soon waged a guerilla war, resulting in the overthrow of Tito Okello’s government in 1986. Today, we look at some of the quotes the President has made for the past 34 years. ON LEADERSHIP Cleanliness in leadership is one of the rarest commodities in Uganda. Weekly Topic June 6, 1980 Even leaders can turn into bad people. If something falls in milk, you must not let it stay there – but remove it before the milk gets bad. We should be careful. We must not only praise ourselves, but critic ourselves too or, the movement fails. The Monitor June 10, 1997 ON HIS SOCIAL LIFE I last danced in 1966 and some poor dancers spoilt the whole thing by stepping on my toes. Speech at Rushoroza Parish in Kabale district The Monitor January 05-08, 1996 ON HIS DETRACTORS There are some people who go calling me a war monger; implying that I am in love with war w...

On Thursday, June 19, 2014, the US government dropped a bombshell on its erstwhile premier ally in the Great Lakes Region whose full impact and repercussions are yet to emerge. According to the Saturday Monitor of June 21, 2014, the spokesperson of the US National Security Council, Caitlin Hayden, announced new measures which are intended to “further reinforce our support for human rights of all Ugandans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity”. She added that the US Department of State, i.e. the US Foreign Ministry, would take measures to prevent entry into USA of certain unnamed Ugandan officials involved in serious human rights abuses. The spokesperson also announced that “the US will take steps, consistent with current authorities, to prevent entry into the US by Ugandans who are found responsible for significant public corruption”. That in effect means the vast majority of the NRM regime’s ruling class! In a related development, the White House announced cancellation ...

KHARTOUM - A quarter-century after it took power in an Islamist-backed coup promising "salvation" for Sudan, critics say Field Marshal Omar al-Bashir's regime has instead destroyed it. Bashir, 70, is accused of war crimes in the Darfur region and has maintained power despite internal divisions within his ruling National Congress Party (NCP). He presides over a country where the number of people needing food and other aid rose 40 percent over the past year and millions have been displaced by the wars and unrest which have touched about half of Sudan's states. The country's image sank even lower in May when a judge sentenced a pregnant Christian woman to hang for "apostasy",a ruling later overturned but which sparked an outcry from Western governments and human rights groups. Sudan is bereft of hard currency, internationally isolated and billions of dollars in debt, ranking near bottom in global measures of human development, perceived corruption and pres...

As we have been persistently saying, something is amiss with our MCAs. They are the new face of greed and selfishness. They have tainted the title that they revere so much to be addressed by, mheshimiwa, and sunk too low and betrayed the very people who put them into those positions. Our constitution envisaged MCAs to be people of honour, selfless servants of the people and brave defenders of devolution. But events that have transpired in the recent past have depicted a grim picture of power-hungry and selfish folks who think they were elected to enrich themselves and make useless trips all over the world. One and half years after they were elected, they have little or nothing to show to the electorates saves for their trips abroad and fat allowances. A report released this week by the Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo shows that counties have spent most of their funds on pampering MCAs at the expense of development projects. In Meru county, we have seen them make noise all over the ...

US military in Iraq used depleted uranium weapons (DU) in civilian- populated areas during the 2003 military campaign, according to a new report of Dutch peace group Pax. This came in breach of official advice meant to prevent suffering in conflicts. Most of the DU rounds fired by the US-led coalition were in or near heavily populated areas, says the study. Samawah, Nasiriyah and Basrah are just some urban areas where ammunition was deployed - with around 1,500 anti-armor rounds fired directly at Saddam Hussein's troops. Most of the firing locations however remain unknown, as more than 300,000 DU rounds are believed to have been fired by the US-led military. But the group estimates there are more than 300 sites contaminated by DU. Wim Zwijnenburg, the author of the report, said the US Air Force knew of the consequences of using DU ammunition and intentionally breached their advised recommendation on the use of the weapon. "The use of DU against these targets questions the adh...

I wish again to convey my sincere condolences to the people of Mpeketoni, Lamu County, over the senseless and brutal killings of many innocent Kenyans and to share with you the grief and sadness over the tragic events that occurred in the county. This occurrence is an unfortunate additional tragedy to the now growing and harrowing statistics of attacks that the Kenyan people have suffered over the last one year. We must stand together as a nation to fight terrorism in all its forms and your Excellency can be assured of my full support in the war against terror. I commend the people of Kenya who have shown unity and resilience and demonstrated courage and patriotism in defence of the motherland. Last year after the Supreme Court heard and determined my petition challenging the presidential elections, I accepted the verdict. I did that as a true believer in constitutionalism and the rule of law and declared that Kenya is greater than any one of us. However, since then, Kenya has been fac...

Raila owns a gas company that supplies gas to Heritage hotels owned by Uhuru Kenyatta. Then Raila takes the CORD meeting to Great Rift Valley Lodge which is owned by Uhuru Kenyatta. Raila and Uhuru refer to each other as brothers. Raila wants dialogue with Uhuru Kenyatta and Uhuru invites Raila for tea. In all circumstances, when Raila and Uhuru meet, they always shake hands and smile to each other. They don't fight. Now, Uhuru opposes Raila's rallies nd sends a great number of security officers to ensure all is well in those meeting. Raila cannot be touched because he is guarded by government police force. When the big people are busy doing business stealing away what our sweat has brought, some fool is busy abusing and hurting his or her fellow poor citizen in the name of tribalism. I wish our poverty at grassroots level would bring us closer to each other to make us work against the rich selfish and acquire some of their wealth. So, don't tell me Luos, Kikuyus, Kambas, K...

KTN's investigative journalist Mohamed Ali wrote the president a letter in Swahili about the security issue in the country.Read the letter below: Rais,Habari ya siku nyingi? Jina langu ni Mohammed Ali, mwandishi wa habari ya runinga ya KTN. Mara ya mwisho kuonana naye ilikua wakati wa kampeni za uchaguzi mkuu uliopita huko Mombasa katika shule ya msingi ya Khadija. Ulikua mchangamfu kando na ahadi chungunzima kwa Wakenya. Ahadi za tarakilishi za bure kwa wanafunzi wa darasa la kwanza, kutoa nafasi za kazi milioni moja kila mwaka kwa vijana, kuekeza katika usalama wa kitaifa miongoni mwa ahadi zingine. Lakini, kwa hivi sasa bwana rais nahofia ahadi hizo zimekua tasa. Barua yangu inaanza na maswala ya usalama ambayo nimeyapa kipau mbele. Kwanza kabisa nauliza, “Uko wapi? Hatukuoni bwana Rais.” Wakenya wanashabuliwa kila mara na kuuliwa kinyama. Walioponea wamebagi na vilema vya maisha. Shambulizi la Westgate na ahadi ya serikali yako zilionekana kama hekaya za Abunuasi. Uliowapa maju...

By Janet Mwikali-White Clueless Kenyan President is at it again. “President” Uhuru Kenyatta, who was installed as President after a manipulated electoral process, has now decided to politicize the fight on Terrorism. This man has lost the moral high ground to continue governing Kenya. Uhuru whose colorless and incompetent Cabinet Secretary for Security was heckled and jeered by the victims of Mpeketoni terror attack, is at pains to deflect the Al-Shabaab menace inwards, by branding it an act of ethnic genocide. Uhuru is himself a genocide suspect currently risking incarceration at the ICC for the 2007/8 violence in which he is accused of financing a terror network in which Kalenjin homes were torched, and Luos circumcised without anesthesia using blunt objects, then left to bleed to death. Even before he became president, Uhuru’s incompetence both as Shepherd of Kenya’s economy was in doubt both locally and internationally. Columnists like Makau Mutua, Rashid Wanjala, Sospeter Otieno,...

BREAKING NEWS: The opposition is planning to plunge the country into chaos similar to the case in Egypt and Libya. However Kenyans do not worship idols and they won't succeed. Plans are underway and if you love your nation Kenya, preach peace. We are under attack and our sovereignty is threatened. Reliable sources say that our unity and patriotism is being tested. Remember some of these people in the opposition have been engaged in coups. Do you want to see your nation in bad shape? Circulate this to all peace loving Kenyans. The slogan for the campaign is, "KENYA NI YETU, SI YA MTU"

All CORD supporters should resist attempts to engage Jubilee supporters in ethnic bigotry. We have a clear agenda of reforms and democracy. The recent attempts by the Jubilee govt to blame politics and point fingers at our leaders is an attempt to polarize the nation further politically and tribally. If any politicians are supposedely involved in planing and orgarnizing such attacks let them be arraigned in court and chsrged but for. Uhuru to give a televised speech with no solutions but finger pointing is pointless and unpresidential.

Intriguing and conspiratorial accounts have emerged from local residents caught up in Sunday’s Mpeketoni attack with some witnesses claiming a masked white man commanded the attackers. Witnesses also reported seeing about 50 heavily armed gunmen with flags associated with Al Shabaab. Some witnesses allege that police fled with them into bushes where they stayed for hours as heavy explosions shook the town. The Standard crewsaw the body of a police officer in uniform in the bush indicating the attackers could have pursued victims into the thickets to finish them off. The alleged white man and his henchmen were masked but his distinctive pale white skin stood out from his exposed hands, neck and eyes in the street lighting. He allegedly wielded a bazooka. “We have reports that one of the attackers was a white man. Several eyewitnesses we have interviewed say they saw the white man,” said Lamu County MP Shakilla Abdalla, who spoke toThe Standardon phone from Mpeketoni. But the eyewitness...

Help make it happen for 'kenyabittertruth mobile blog' FOLLOW THIS LINK:-http://igg.me/p/kenyabittertruth-mobile-blog--3 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kenyabittertruth-mobile-blog--3#description

It was one of those topics that young Kenyans looking for employment felt the need to speak out about. ‘Half Baked Graduates’ was the debate last Monday and after receiving a lot of comments on the issue, one Grace Kibe brought out an issue which she thinks is what stands between her and getting her first job after campus. She wrote that,“I am a recent graduate and though I have not yet found a job I believe I will get one because God lives. My take on the issue (half baked graduates) is that employers first need not to employ people through `kujuana`. Networking is good but still they need to have healthy networks where you do can a bit of the background of the graduates which you can check through many ways. She went on to agree that,“Some of the graduates yes are half baked with reasons that we have some students who are lazy to attend classes while in campus.They will wait to copy paste their assignment from their fellow college mates, who will buy their projects and such. She adde...

Fellow Kenyans, In the last 48 hours, more than 50 Kenyans were murdered as they went about their normal daily activities, by criminals in Lamu County. On my behalf, that of the Government and the People of Kenya, I express my deepest sympathy to the families who lost their loved ones, as well as those who were affected by the unjustifiable and barbaric attack. I cannot find words to adequately express my shock and outrage at the tragedy of this brutal and heinous crime. My Government stands in solidarity with everyone affected by this tragedy: the bereaved and those injured, physically and psychologically. The Government will meet the funeral expenses of the sadly departed compatriots and give them a dignified send-off. We will ensure that the injured receive the required medical attention. I wish them speedy recovery and resumption of their normal life. To those that lost their properties, the government will stand with you in their reconstruction. Fellow Kenyans, We are all hurting...

Kenyan President; Uhuru Kenyatta has rejected the claim that the Mpeketoni attack was orchestrated by the Somalia Al shabab terrorists. He said the attack was a well-planned and coordinated ethnic profiling linked to local politicians.“There are local politicians who have been spreading ethnic propaganda and hate campaigns in the last few days,”he said. While addressing Kenya in a live TV telecast, president Uhuru promised to decisively deal with the politicians and all those who absconded from their duties.“All security officers who absconded from duty during the attack have been suspended and will be prosecuted. This kind of behavior is unacceptable,”quipped the president. "I urge all Kenyans not to forget our values and where we came from. I will not allow Kenya to go back to where we came from,"added the president.“My government will work with and for all Kenyans where ever they are,”he added in his concluding remarks. He said that the government will foot all burial expe...

1. If President Uhuru Kenyatta has evidence linking any local politician to the Mpeketoni attacks that has left over 50 people dead, as he has insinuated in his statement, then who are they and why have they not been arrest and prosecute yet? 2. If intelligence on the attack was gotten in advance and ignored by the police on the ground, who lack capacity by the way, why are Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku and Inspector general of Police David Kimaiyo still in office yet they offered no back up on the ground at avert the senseless killings, Mr President? 3. Has the president chosen to ignore that Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Sunday & Monday night attacks in Lamu and does that mean Shabaab duped everyone by claiming responsibility or was the claimbonoko? 4. Now that the president has given us what he believes is the truth about the attacks, what urgent decisive measures has he taken to avert similar attacks in future, given same faces still rule the security ...

Press Statement Jen Psaki Department Spokesperson,Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC June 16, 2014 The United States strongly condemns the Al-Shabaab terrorist attack on the coastal town of Mpeketoni, Kenya overnight that killed dozens of people. We offer our deepest condolences to those that have lost loved ones and to persons injured in the attacks. There can be no place for horrific acts of violence such as this in any society. The United States stands with Kenya. We will continue to work in partnership with Kenya to address security in Kenya and in the region in a comprehensive manner that respects human rights

"It has been mistakenly reported in online and social media, including by the Daily Post, that the Outreach Coordinator of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Kenya, Ms Maria Kamara, would have taken a position on the guilt of the Kenyan accused currently on trial at the ICC. This is not accurate, as Ms Kamara is a member of the ICC Registry, which is a neutral organ of the ICC. When conducting information activities, the ICC Outreach Coordinators fully respect their duties of neutrality and the presumption of innocence due to the accused. Information sessions aim at explaining the mandate and work of the ICC. They also provide to the Kenyan population timely and neutral information on the judicial developments. Outreach Coordinators never take positions on the guilt or innocence of ICC accused or suspects, whether in their interventions with media, victims groups, NGOs or any other group they would meet. Only the ICC Judges may issue decisions on the guilt or innocence of t...

Many Kenyans loath him, many have blamed him for the deteriorating security situation in the country but is Ole Lenku really qualified to be the Cabinet secretary for Internal Security. Many Kenyans believe that president Uhuru Kenyatta just appointed Ole lenku as a thank you note to the Maasai community for their votes. Rumors are that the Cabinet Secretary is just a hotelier who has no qualification to head to Interior Ministry docket. Controversial blogger Robert Alai has endeavored to clear the minds of Kenyans by leaking the CV of the Cabinet Secretary. This is a none certified document but considering the ability Robert Alai demonstrated during the West gate attack to deliver correct information it is up to you to decide whether you believe him or not. ole.png

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided to ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was stronger too. Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly who was well known consultant now was called in . When he heard the name of the town she came ...

When very busy, we all tend to find excuses for not doing something, even for things that seem essential to our well-being. "I don t have time" , is our usual answer, when friends or family ask us. I have been here too. I mean "busy as hell", completely drained out by my professional obligations, stressed out, and nearly forgetting about enjoying life in itself. It happened to me very recently in the form of a total burn out. My body too was warning me. I am still feeling exhausted, to be honest. But I made an important decision: to now concentrate MORE on my current needs. So I asked myself the following questions: " what am I missing, what do I want and how could I feel better again?" Well- I found a simple answer to complex questions: RECREATE a specific TIME during which I will do exclusively WHAT I LOVE MOST in life:WRITING. 30 minutes of writing, just for me, each day, no matter what. Even the thought of granting myself this recreative time for my m...

6120-11-628x400.png By Geoffrey Wainaina I’m one of those who are not concerned at all by CORD’s empty threats to Jubilee government. You see they are using words like revolution, Kungoa serkali, wataona chamtema kuni as if they are referring to boys contests in those village football matches… I have said this in the past and I will repeat it….again Uhuru Kenyatta is not Mwai Kibaki. Statistically for an opposition party to carry out a successful revolution they must have Three things in their favor. 1. Numbers Support in government, in Parliament and by the Public. 2. Populace Serious disaffection with the government. 3.Military support by majority. On all the three accounts CORD’s revolution talk have snowball chance in hell. They do not have the numbers, as a Matter of fact Many leaders in Ukambani are coming out by the day to distance themselves from the Planned criminality. The only public support Odinga is assured of is that of the hopelessly sycophantic Luo nation. The rest of ...

By Joshua Odongo Onono “Lost Public confidence towards the Jubilee administration”. “Leadership is solving problems”. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership,” Colin Powell. Public confidence towards the “Jubilee administration”, government organs and institutions is slowly diminishing and pegging this statement to the unfolding events after President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in on March 4th General Election clearly confirms this as a fact and not mere speculations. The executive: The executive has had its equal share of the lost public confidence and this is evidenced during the cabinet secretaries nominations prior to parliamentary approval. It was clear that the president and his deputy weren’t ready with the list of cabinet secretaries as it took longer to finally name the complete list and it is rumoured that tw...

1) Father’s Daywas invented by American Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd who wanted to honour her father, a veteran who had, as a single parent raised his six children. The first Father's Daywas celebrated on June 19, 1910. 2)Unlike Mother’s Day, Father’s day was originally met with laughter. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision with a local newspaper complaining that it would lead to mindless promotions such as ‘National Clean Your Desk Day’. 3)The first American president to support the concept of Father's day was President Calvin Coolidge, who did so in 1924… but it wasn’t until in the year 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation that resulted in the declaration of the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. 4)According to greetings card makers Hallmark, Father’s Day is the fifth-largest card-sending holiday. 5)In Germany Father's Day is celebrated differently from other parts of the world. Männertag (Men’s day) is celebrated by ge...

You probably have seen this piece trending on line Jack Ma: If you’re still poor at 35, you deserve it!.http://news.yahoo.com/jack-ma-still-poor-35-043045383.html Judging from the reactions, there are those who love what the Chinese entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group is talking about and there are those who feel he is a liitle harsh with the “truth” On her Facebook page Caroline Mutoko writes,“This one is good but also brutal. If you don’t have a stomach for harsh truth, don’t read this one..” The Alibaba entrepreneur says, “Before I founded Alibaba, I invited 24 friends to my house to discuss the business opportunity. After discussing for a full two hours, they were still confused — I have to say that I may not have put myself across in a clear manner then. The verdict: 23 out of the 24 people in the room told me to drop the idea, for a multitude of reasons, such as: ‘you do not know anything about the internet, and more prominently, you do not have the start-up cap...

If job hunting could actually be a job then most would be millionaires by now. No one ever tells you that when you used to stay up late studying for tests in campus that it will all be in vain when you realize you can’t get a job. At a time when job seekers are complaining that Job search websites and recruitment agencies have also proven unfruitful and have been a waste of time and money, it seems the problem is not just in Kenya but worldwide. Take the case of these two students from the University Of South Florida, USA. Damian Romero, a Finance Major and Jarod R. Fluck, a Marketing Major decided to take their job hunting to the streets, literally. The two walk along the streets holding up signs reading“I am not homeless yet, Take my resume!” “You can’t do what everybody else is doing because it’s hard to get ahead,” says Romero, “Going to the streets is about getting that much needed face time.” So have their efforts proven successful? Romero says he and Fluck have both handed out ...

The flamboyant Nandi Hills MPs Hon Alfred Keter has sensionally claimed that TNA strategists sponsored Hon Linturi to prepare an impeachment motion against CS Ann Waiguru to block any of the Kalenjin MPs from sponsoring one. The strategy was agreed after realising that Waiguru had angered the Kalenjins and that it was eminent that she was to be axed. To avoid this TNA strategists sponsored one of their own instructing him to withdraw the motion at the 11th hour,that's the only way the plan was to flop.

Uhuru Kenyatta's government allocates 1.8B to "fight" poaching in her 2014/5 budget and within 24 hours of that announcement, the poaching dealership and it's network sends a chilling message back to Uhuru Kenyatta saying quote; "you can not cut your own arm! you can not kill yourself by spearing your own shadow!" ~ if you know what I mean...Satao, the world's biggest elephant, lived in Tsavo National Park in Northern Kenya and was celebrated as one of the last surviving great tuskers, bearers of genes that produce bull elephants with huge tusks reaching down to the ground. This news follows hard on the heels of the slaughter of another legendary tusker, Mountain Bull, deep inside the forests of Mt. Kenya . Of all the elephants that have died in Kenya, these deaths are the hardest to bear. The grief in Kenya at the slaughter of our iconic elephants is translating into floods of tears, emotional poems, and outrage on Twitter and Facebook. I had suspected...

Fellow Kenyans be warned! Never be the type that only listens to the masses and rely on hearsay to arrive at a conclusion in serious matters like what we are going through as a country currently! This problem started with the last general election, when issues were raised by both sides of the political divide concerning the Party Nomination process and finally the National tallying of the presidential votes. This culminated into filing of a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the presidential election results by CORD. This was not fairly handled by the courts in terms of time allocated for hearing, perusal of the petition exhibits/support documents and delivery of the final ruling which was hurriedly instituted without official final ruling affidavit said to be ready in 6 months time. We swallowed our ambition for the sake of peace at the expense of democracy. A host of other petitions from both sides of the political divide followed suit thereafter challenging Governors, Senator...

A Kenyan student studying in the UK has achieved an outstanding first class honours degree in Aerospace Engineering. Jepleting Fiona Mercy who accomplished the rare fete could not hide her joy when after receiving the good news about her performance. “I was expecting a First Class pass and the news of an outstanding first class is the best news of my life ever,” said the University of Hertfordshire student. Her performance was so outstanding that even world renowned writer Prof. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o sent her a congratulatory message.“I would like to congratulate Jepleting for achieving the rare distinction of a First Class degree in Aerospace Engineering. She is torchbearer and inspiration to young Kenyan women and Kenyan youth in general. For Kenya and Africa to lead the world in inventions and industry, we have to have more Jepletings. Africa must learn to accept nothing but the best. Well done Jepleting”. “Jepleting happens to be the first woman from her Terik community in Nandi Count...

Not like Uhuru Kenyatta who has been quoted saying; "let them ban miraa! Sisi hatuna shinda! We will get miraa buyers from humuhumu." Eti "sisi hatuna shinda", meaning that him and his family hawana shinda and they do not care how many families depend economically on the sale and export of that crop. Eti "we will get miraa buyers and chewers from humu humu"...will he order employers to buy miraa for their employees just like he directed companies (after telling tourists to pack and go) to the send their workers on compulsory tourism vacations to fill the empty hotels and parks as reflected in his recent tourism master plan? NO PLAN, NO INTERJECTION, NOT TRY, NO SOLUTION! THIS GUY MUST GO HOME FOR KENYA'S ECONOMY TO BE STABLE.

Some Africans still think democracy is an event practiced periodically, like in Kenya every five years. Some of us know that democracy is not about elections in entirety, but rather that the majority decides who gets to take leadership.....but it never stops there. The opposition exists to keep the government of the day in check and offer alternative leadership should the government of the day fail to deliver on their pre-election agenda and routine government responsibilities, engage in excesses or fail to be accountable to the electorate. No one in any democracy should have leeway to run a country in a haphazard manner just coz they won previous elections. Democracy is a process of continuous engagement by various stakeholders as recognized and enshrined in our current constitution. Let the government of the day continue in executing its mandate in line with the constitution and all laws. The right of all Kenyans including those in the opposition to engage the government whenever the...